Final Assessment: Course Reflections Jennifer Anaya EDLD 5363
1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?
I have been a technology specialist in my district for the past five years, helping teachers and students grade k through 5th create many different types of videos in that time. What I was hoping to gain in the course EDLD 5363: Multimedia and Video Technology was more insight into the collaborative aspect of student and teacher created video, focusing on the pre-production, production, and post-production collaboration. I have trouble getting children to work collaboratively, and this course went above and beyond helping me overcome this. I feel I can now show children how to not only work collaboratively, but also how to work in online collaborative environments. I really enjoyed learning about how to overcome the logistical challenges of sharing video and resources using freeware such as Tooble, and Wikispaces to share and post video. I will be going back into the classroom teaching 5th grade science and I can hardly wait for our first assignment, which will be creating a PSA on lab safety using all the pre-production, production, and post-production collaboration tricks I learned in this class!
2.To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?
The course Multimedia and Video Technology is beyond relevant to the work that I do in my school. Next year I will be a 5th grade science teacher, and I can use what I have learned about online collaboration, not only to create multimedia and video projects, but also for day to day labs and projects that children will be working on together. The first assignment I am going to give the students ironically was going to be to create a video podcast of the the do's and don'ts of working in a lab setting. I want them to work collaboratively in groups of four to create these. I will be using everything I learned in this class, from online collaboration on Wikispaces, to blogs to show their final project. This class was exactly what I needed to succeed in this project. My only obstacle now is to sweet-talk our system administrator into letting me use You Tube from time to time!
3.What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
In the course Multimedia and Video Technology, one outcome I had hoped to achieve that I am still not feeling adequate in, are the different shot angles and practice using the rule of thirds. I wasn't in charge of filming on this project, I was in charge of sound editing and creating the music, otherwise, I would have spent a lot of time researching the correct angles to use when filming. During this course I was really paying very close attention on television and while watching movies, to how each and every scene was being filmed, but I don't feel I spent enough time getting to know the correct terminology for each angle and shot name. I feel this was really important information to pass on to my students when we begin our projects next year, so I am going to spend some time this summer, after this course ends, doing some personal research in this area of filming. I will then create a simple online study guide for my students focusing on shot angles to go reference when creating their videos.
4.Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?
In the course Multimedia and Video technology I created several assignments: a 5 Generation digital story, a futuristic travel guide video, and a PSA on using booster seats until age 8. I felt very successful in the first two assignments up until the point when my hard drive crashed before my group began editing our PSA. The computer that crashed had an older version of iMovie on it, v6.0.3 that allows you more creative control of fast and slow motion, transitions, and titles, than the newer version of iMovie. When my hard drive crashed my school let me borrow another computer with the new version of iMovie. We ended up using iMovie for all the major editing, but we had to use Adobe Premiere Elements to edit the fast motion shots and slow motion shots that we wanted to use. I felt that having to learn a brand new program really slowed me down. My partner Jackie and I finally read through all the user guides and got the job done but it was really frustrating having to use two editing programs to complete the last assignment. On a positive note, I really liked some of the features in Adobe Premiere Elements and I was glad that I was forced to work with the program, even if it was on a limited level.
As far as the outcome of the video, working online with a group of peers has been challenging, but most of all rewarding as the entire group has learned to work collaboratively through the pre- production, production, and post- production process. I was really satisfied with the outcome of the video, but felt we could have made it even better. I felt we could have added some better shots of Sullivan running out to the car. I had to crop the shots that we had due to doors and light fixtures showing in the background, and I felt they were a bit grainy. I also feel that the establishing shot at the beginning should have shown Sullivan’s house. This establishing shot that I am speaking of was also quite shaky. The online web article from Desktop Video Guides, "Guidelines For Shooting Quality Video" states, "The professionals always say "Keep It Steady". There is no doubt that when we're shooting videos, our hands tend to vibrate a little." A tripod could have been used in that establishing shot to give the video a more professional feel. I feel that we should have backed up the PSA with statistics establishing why it is important to use a booster seat up to age 8. If we could have had more time to edit the video with these changes, I think it would have turned out exactly the way I wanted it.
It was so satisfying working through this process. I can now see how this could be done with a group of students. I am looking forward to trying out some of these strategies with a class of my own.
5.What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?
I didn't realize until I took the course, Multimedia and Video Technology, how many technological concepts I had already internalized- such as posting to online sites such as You Tube, downloading You Tube video with Tooble, and formatting and sharing video in different formats. I use these skills in my job everyday. I felt that I already had a grasp on the technical side of the class, and I was glad that I really got to focus on the collaborative side of the assignments. I was surprised by how hard it was to have to trust someone that I didn't know with the major parts of my grade on the PSA assignment. It felt good though to let go and share the load, instead of carrying everything out by myself. One very important lesson that I learned, is not to be afraid to speak up and be critical of someone's work without worrying about hurt feelings. When I noticed a few shots were weak and needed improvement, I spoke up and addressed the issue. As long as there is a rubric to go by, it is easy to refer back to the rubric on any part of the assignment when something needed to be tweaked. I was very pleased with the outcome of this class, and feel that it is going to prepare me in many ways for my classroom next year.
Final Assessment: Course Reflections Jennifer Anaya EDLD 5363
1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?
I have been a technology specialist in my district for the past five years, helping teachers and students grade k through 5th create many different types of videos in that time. What I was hoping to gain in the course EDLD 5363: Multimedia and Video Technology was more insight into the collaborative aspect of student and teacher created video, focusing on the pre-production, production, and post-production collaboration. I have trouble getting children to work collaboratively, and this course went above and beyond helping me overcome this. I feel I can now show children how to not only work collaboratively, but also how to work in online collaborative environments. I really enjoyed learning about how to overcome the logistical challenges of sharing video and resources using freeware such as Tooble, and Wikispaces to share and post video. I will be going back into the classroom teaching 5th grade science and I can hardly wait for our first assignment, which will be creating a PSA on lab safety using all the pre-production, production, and post-production collaboration tricks I learned in this class!
2. To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?
The course Multimedia and Video Technology is beyond relevant to the work that I do in my school. Next year I will be a 5th grade science teacher, and I can use what I have learned about online collaboration, not only to create multimedia and video projects, but also for day to day labs and projects that children will be working on together. The first assignment I am going to give the students ironically was going to be to create a video podcast of the the do's and don'ts of working in a lab setting. I want them to work collaboratively in groups of four to create these. I will be using everything I learned in this class, from online collaboration on Wikispaces, to blogs to show their final project. This class was exactly what I needed to succeed in this project. My only obstacle now is to sweet-talk our system administrator into letting me use You Tube from time to time!
3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
In the course Multimedia and Video Technology, one outcome I had hoped to achieve that I am still not feeling adequate in, are the different shot angles and practice using the rule of thirds. I wasn't in charge of filming on this project, I was in charge of sound editing and creating the music, otherwise, I would have spent a lot of time researching the correct angles to use when filming. During this course I was really paying very close attention on television and while watching movies, to how each and every scene was being filmed, but I don't feel I spent enough time getting to know the correct terminology for each angle and shot name. I feel this was really important information to pass on to my students when we begin our projects next year, so I am going to spend some time this summer, after this course ends, doing some personal research in this area of filming. I will then create a simple online study guide for my students focusing on shot angles to go reference when creating their videos.
4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?
In the course Multimedia and Video technology I created several assignments: a 5 Generation digital story, a futuristic travel guide video, and a PSA on using booster seats until age 8. I felt very successful in the first two assignments up until the point when my hard drive crashed before my group began editing our PSA. The computer that crashed had an older version of iMovie on it, v6.0.3 that allows you more creative control of fast and slow motion, transitions, and titles, than the newer version of iMovie. When my hard drive crashed my school let me borrow another computer with the new version of iMovie. We ended up using iMovie for all the major editing, but we had to use Adobe Premiere Elements to edit the fast motion shots and slow motion shots that we wanted to use. I felt that having to learn a brand new program really slowed me down. My partner Jackie and I finally read through all the user guides and got the job done but it was really frustrating having to use two editing programs to complete the last assignment. On a positive note, I really liked some of the features in Adobe Premiere Elements and I was glad that I was forced to work with the program, even if it was on a limited level.
As far as the outcome of the video, working online with a group of peers has been challenging, but most of all rewarding as the entire group has learned to work collaboratively through the pre- production, production, and post- production process. I was really satisfied with the outcome of the video, but felt we could have made it even better. I felt we could have added some better shots of Sullivan running out to the car. I had to crop the shots that we had due to doors and light fixtures showing in the background, and I felt they were a bit grainy. I also feel that the establishing shot at the beginning should have shown Sullivan’s house. This establishing shot that I am speaking of was also quite shaky. The online web article from Desktop Video Guides, "Guidelines For Shooting Quality Video" states, "The professionals always say "Keep It Steady". There is no doubt that when we're shooting videos, our hands tend to vibrate a little." A tripod could have been used in that establishing shot to give the video a more professional feel. I feel that we should have backed up the PSA with statistics establishing why it is important to use a booster seat up to age 8. If we could have had more time to edit the video with these changes, I think it would have turned out exactly the way I wanted it.
It was so satisfying working through this process. I can now see how this could be done with a group of students. I am looking forward to trying out some of these strategies with a class of my own.
5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?
I didn't realize until I took the course, Multimedia and Video Technology, how many technological concepts I had already internalized- such as posting to online sites such as You Tube, downloading You Tube video with Tooble, and formatting and sharing video in different formats. I use these skills in my job everyday. I felt that I already had a grasp on the technical side of the class, and I was glad that I really got to focus on the collaborative side of the assignments. I was surprised by how hard it was to have to trust someone that I didn't know with the major parts of my grade on the PSA assignment. It felt good though to let go and share the load, instead of carrying everything out by myself. One very important lesson that I learned, is not to be afraid to speak up and be critical of someone's work without worrying about hurt feelings. When I noticed a few shots were weak and needed improvement, I spoke up and addressed the issue. As long as there is a rubric to go by, it is easy to refer back to the rubric on any part of the assignment when something needed to be tweaked. I was very pleased with the outcome of this class, and feel that it is going to prepare me in many ways for my classroom next year.
Sources:
Video Camcorder.
(2009). Retrieved July 20, 2009, from
Discovery Education: http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/
Desktop- Video- Guide (n.d.) Guidelines for Shooting Quality Video. Retrieved on May 5, 2009, from http://www.desktop-video-guide.com/shoot-video.html.